C.D. Wälzholz GmbH & Co. KG will in future receive low-CO2 wire rod from ArcelorMittal. This has developed out of the long-standing business partnership between the two companies. These steels are produced on a scrap basis, and only fully renewable electricity is used in the process. An official Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) confirms the low carbon footprint of 504 kg per ton of steel. The first 20 tons were recently delivered to the cold rolling company's site in Hagen. Among other things, Wälzholz uses the material to manufacture tempered profiles for industrial applications.
"The purchase of low-CO2 wire rod is now the logical continuation of our cooperation, with which we are expanding our portfolio of climate-friendly wire products. ArcelorMittal has been a valued partner for the supply and continuous joint development of materials for many years. The first 20 tons are a prelude to further talks on increasing the supply volume for low-CO2 wire rod," explains Dr. Matthias Gierse, Managing Director Sales and Purchasing at C.D. Wälzholz GmbH & Co. KG.
ArcelorMittal had already supplied the Hagen-based company with XCarb® Green Steel certificates for flat steel in 2021. The CO2 reduction in these certificates amounts to 2.11 tons of CO2 per ton of steel and comes from sustainability projects at various ArcelorMittal sites. The CO2 savings are mass-balanced and independently verified in a central account.
"We are seeing increased interest in low-CO2 steel on the customer side and are pleased to be able to offer our XCarb® steel to a long-standing customer like Waelzholz. Together, we are thus taking another step towards climate neutrality," adds Dr. Uwe Braun, CEO of ArcelorMittal Hamburg.
Long-term decarbonization plans
Wälzholz has set itself the goal of achieving CO2 neutrality by 2045. The company was the first in the cold rolling industry to implement a validated process for item-by-item calculation of its product carbon footprint. Wälzholz is also working on replacing natural gas with hydrogen in its own production. ArcelorMittal aims to achieve Net-Zero by 2050 at the latest, with emissions in Europe already reduced by 35 percent by 2030.
The companies are both working to achieve a climate-friendly value chain for steel production. This starts with raw material production, through its further processing, to the end product.
